3DS Max Interface & Essential Tools 

Now that we've covered Scene Explorer and Object Management, let's dive into the top menu bar and key tools used in 3DS Max.

1️⃣ File Menu & Basic Operations

📌 Located at the top left, the File menu includes:

• New → Starts a fresh scene.
• Reset → Resets 3DS Max to its default state.
• Open / Save / Save As → Standard file management.
• Import / Export → Brings in external models & exports completed work.

✅ Tip: Use File > Save As > + to quickly create versioned saves!

2️⃣ Undo / Redo & Linking Objects

• Undo (Ctrl + Z) → Reverses your last action.
• Redo (Ctrl + Y) → Re-applies an undone action.
• Linking Objects (Select & Link tool) → Creates a parent-child hierarchy.
  • Parent Object → Moves the child with it.
  • Child Object → Moves independently but follows the parent.
  • Unlink Selection → Removes the child from the parent.

✅ Tip: Use linking to maintain a structured hierarchy for animations & transformations.

3️⃣ Selection Tools

The Select Object (Q) tool allows different selection methods:
1️⃣ Marquee Selection → Click & drag to select.
2️⃣ Radial Selection → Circular selection from the center.
3️⃣ Polygonal Selection → Click to define a shape for selection.
4️⃣ Lasso Selection → Freehand selection.
5️⃣ Paint Selection → Click & drag over objects to select them.

✅ Tip: Window Crossing Toggle controls how objects are selected:

• Disabled→ Any part of an object inside the selection box gets selected.
• Enabled → Only fully enclosed objects get selected.

4️⃣ Move, Rotate & Scale Tools

• Move (W) → Moves objects along the X (Red), Y (Green), Z (Blue) axes.
  • 🟢 Tip: Click between two axes to move on both at once!
• Rotate (E) → Rotates objects on single or multiple axes.
  • 🟢 Tip: Use Angle Snap (A) for precise rotation.
• Scale (R) → Scales objects uniformly or along specific axes.
  • 🟢 Tip: When R is pressed multiple times it will cycle through multiple scaling modes. Avoid "Squash and Stretch" mode—it’s rarely useful.

5️⃣ Snapping & Precision Tools

• Snapping (S) → Ensures objects align perfectly.
• Snapping Options (Right-click Snapping icon) →
  ✅ Grid Points → Snap to grid intersections.
  ✅ Vertex → Snap to object vertices.
  ✅ Midpoint → Snap to the center of an edge.
  • 🟢 Tip: System may slow down when vertex snapping is enabled and unfrozen scan is in the scene. Be sure to freeze or hide the scan when using vertex snapping.
• Angle Snap (A) → Restricts rotation to fixed increments (e.g., 5°).

6️⃣ Aligning & Organizing Objects

• Quick Align (Shift + A) → Snaps an object to another object's position.
• Selection Sets → Saves groups of selected objects for easy access later.
• Layer Manager (Toggle Layers) →
  ✅ Organizes objects into folders (e.g., Scans vs. Proxy Models).
  ✅ Easily toggle visibility & select specific groups.

7️⃣ Scene Management & Auto Backup

• Scene Explorer (Customize > Show Explorers > Scene Explorer)
• Auto Backup (Customize > Preferences > Files)
  • 🔄 Saves backup files every 15 minutes.
  •  Stores up to 10 auto-backups before overwriting.